Disappointing ending for MSU, Michigan in NCAA Tournament, but for different reasons, Pat Caputo says

Michigan's Zak Irvin holds his head down in the locker room after an NCAA Midwest Regional final college basketball tournament game against Kentucky Sunday, March 30, 2014, in Indianapolis. Kentucky won 75-72 to advance to the Final Four. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Neither Big Ten school in this state advancing to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.

If there is solace for the Spartans, it’s they rallied from an incredible rash of injuries and a dismal finish to the regular season to win the Big Ten Tournament and make a deep NCAA tournament run.

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If there is disappointment, it was playing very poorly in the second half as a decided favorite against Connecticut, and getting ousted from the tournament in the Elite Eight.

The Spartans’ trip to the Final Four seemed to be sealed. They let it literally slip through their fingers with ill-timed turnovers and numerous mistakes against a UConn squad which is, honestly, more gritty than great.

The Spartans of Tom Izzo usually win the test of wills this time of year.

They simply didn’t Sunday, actually getting beaten at their own toughness game by the Huskies.

Michigan, on the other hand, did play an excellent game against Kentucky, despite a narrow loss. Ultimately, the Wolverines just weren’t big enough nor strong enough nor athletic enough against a modern day version of the Fab 5.

It took Kentucky’s incredibly gifted group of freshman, including former Troy High and Rochester High star James Young, a long time to jell, but once they did, it was look out below.

It was like a slam dunk contest at times. The Wolverines hung tough. Gosh, is Caris LeVert a terrific player or what? Jordan Morgan has a heart the size of Lake Michigan. Nik Stauskas is outstanding. But it just wasn’t enough.

The Wolverines went as far as possible.

There is no shame in ending the season in the Elite Eight. It’s just the prestige of merely getting to the Final Four is so glowing.

The roller coaster ride of MSU’s season was incredibly steep with highs and lows. The rise to No. 1 early in the season. The letdown of a home loss to North Carolina. The solid start to the Big Ten season. The collapse at the end of the regular season and an unusual rash of injuries. The sprint to the Big Ten Tournament title and favored status in the NCAAs. Winning a litmus test game against top-seed Virginia in the Sweet 16. Making so many uncharacteristic mistakes in the Elite Eight loss to scrappy UConn.

It wasn’t a bad season overall. It wasn’t a successful one necessarily, either. The Spartans are left wondering a bit, “What if?”

It hasn’t been that long since MSU reached the Final Four – as recently as 2010. But it seems like forever by the standard set by Tom Izzo.

It was like a drumbeat of, “Izzo’s first senior class to not reach the Final Four” after Sunday’s defeat.

Keith Appling had two signature mistakes in his career. One was having the ball swiped by Michigan’s Trey Burke in Ann Arbor, the other was his foul beyond the 3-point line Sunday. He made a lot of good plays in his career. Hopefully, they will be remembered, too. It was not the best ending for Adreian Payne, either.

The Wolverines did so many terrific things after losing Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the NBA, and Mitch McGary to injury, it’s difficult to look at anything as too disappointing about their 2013-14 season.

Three wins over Top 10 teams in a week, the Big Ten regular season title going away, three NCAA tournament wins -

I can’t imagine a better coaching job than the one presented by John Beilein and his staff this season under the circumstances.

The dismal ending aside, a lesser coach would not have weathered the storm as well as Izzo did throughout this season.

This state is fortunate to enjoy tournament runs by two teams like this in the same month.

You can’t say Michigan or MSU, to borrow a line from an old movie, “...could have been somebody, could have been contenders.”

They were.

It’s just they weren’t able to become NCAA champions or reach the Final Four.